


‘Tis The Season to be (Not So) Lonely

by SomedayonBroadway



Category: Newsies (1992), Newsies - All Media Types, Newsies!: the Musical - Fierstein/Menken
Genre: Alternate Universe - Foster Family, Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Christmas, Christmas Eve, Christmas Fluff, Christmas Party, Family, Flirtatious Race, Flirting, Fluff, Fluff and Angst, Foster Care, Found Family, LGBTQ Character, LGBTQ Themes, Light Angst, Modern Era, college student Jack
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-12-18
Updated: 2020-12-24
Packaged: 2021-03-11 01:28:14
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 12
Words: 14,957
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28156836
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/SomedayonBroadway/pseuds/SomedayonBroadway
Summary: No one should have to be alone on Christmas...
Relationships: Racetrack Higgins & Jack Kelly, Spot Conlon & Jack Kelly, Spot Conlon/Racetrack Higgins
Comments: 36
Kudos: 32





	1. I’ll Be Home For Christmas

**Author's Note:**

  * For [Dancerlittle](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Dancerlittle/gifts).



> Hello all! I've been writing a new Christmas story on tumblr and I decided it was high time to post it on here!
> 
> This fic started with simple quote prompts. For this chapter the quote was: "There's no way I'm letting you spend Christmas alone."
> 
> Please enjoy!

"Yes, Mama, I have everythin' I need… it's only four hours, I'll be okay. No, I ain't! Look, I just gotta finish packing and loadin' the truck. I should be there by… seven thirty," Jack said, glancing down at his watch as he finished zipping up his suitcase. He had no time to worry about his ink stained hands or the lipstick his girlfriend had left on his cheek as he cradled his cellphone between his shoulder and his ear. "I love you too… yeah, tell Racer I have all of his presents and don't let Romeo eat all the fudge. I'll see ya soon. Yeah, Ma. Bye."

Nearly dropping his phone as he tried to hang up, Jack zipped up his last suitcase and glanced down at his poorly wrapped gifts. Well, most of them were wrapped poorly. His girlfriend had kindly offered to show him how to properly wrap a present with only three pieces of tape and even a cute little homemade bow. Jack had let her wrap his mother's gift and it looked perfect compared to the mess of things he'd gotten for his brothers. The way he saw it, a present was a present. He was sure his brothers wouldn't care how it looked on the outside so long as they were able to get to what was on the inside.

Plus it was a great way to finally bring up Katherine; his brilliant girl who he was desperately in love with. At least, that's how she put it. She was right of course, but that was neither here nor there.

"Phone, charger, gifts, scarf," Jack muttered out his mental list to himself, trying to make sure he'd packed everything for the break. The semester had been rough and he'd been looking forward to this vacation month since day one of his junior year. He was finally going home after being away for almost five months and he could hardly wait to see his family. Their chaotic FaceTime and Skype sessions only helped so much and while he was in constant contact at all times with somebody, he missed the real thing, being able to hug and kiss and wrestle and talk. He missed them.

Satisfied with his packed bags, Jack wondered for only a moment how on earth he was gosh to get all of this stuff down to his truck. That's when a voice cut through the silence. "Need some help?"

Whirling around at the sudden voice, Jack found another boy lurking in his doorway. His roommate. A kid that he'd never truly gotten to know all that well. "Oh, hey, Spot… what are you still doin' here? I thought I was the last one home…"

With a small shrug, Spot made a point to avoid eye contact. "Do ya want help or not?" he asked, not waiting for an answer before he walked in and grabbed one of Jack's bags for him.

Curiosity filled Jack's chest as he watched Spot lug his things out of the room. He was confused for so many different reasons. He supposed he'd never really asked Spot what his plans had been for the holidays, mostly because the boy was still a mystery to him. He'd joked with Davey, his other roommate, only a week or so ago about how Sean "Spot" Conlon might be the Grinch and could be waiting for them to leave just to steal all their stuff and get away before anyone caught him. It had been good for a small laugh. Now, though, Jack really was wondering what the kid was doing. Spot rarely ever spoke to anyone, much less offered to help either him or Davey with anything. He kept to himself, mostly. He went to work, came home, hid in his room and then slept before the cycle started over again.

Come to think of it, Jack didn't even know where the boy worked. All he knew was that he didn't go to school like he and Dave did.

Trying to shake off his curious thoughts, Jack just struggled to grab the rest of his things. David had gotten him a real Santa Claus bag that he could sling over his shoulder because he had so many gifts. He'd been buying them since August with his tips from the diner he worked at. Jacobi had been kind enough to give him two weeks off for his family Christmas and Jack was going to relish in every second of it. The bag had been funny to Jack because his best friend didn't even celebrate Christmas. He was Jewish and had finished up his finals early to go home and celebrate Hanukkah with his parents, his twin sister and his baby brother. Still, David seemed like he could appreciate Christmas enough to know how important it was to Jack.

Slinging the big red bag over his shoulder, Jack made to follow Spot down to his truck. Their apartment was a decent size but it was on the third floor of their building and the elevator was less than reliable. Still, he managed, dragging his suitcase and duffle bag behind him while shouldering the toys and goodies he'd managed to get for his family that he missed so much everyday.

When he got down to his truck, he found Spot waiting for him to unlock the back door so that he could slide the duffle back into the backseat. "Hey… uh, thanks," Jack managed to get out, slightly out of breath as he let go of his suitcase and fished his keys out of his pocket, manually unlocking the back door.

Only offering him a small shrug in response, Spot slid the duffle in. "Yeah. No problem," he shrugged before moving to walk away.

Something in the back of Jack's mind told him that he shouldn't let him walk away. "Hey, Spot," he called, standing there with his bags still out in the open. "Um… you… you goin' home for the holidays?"

Turning around at the question, the boy crossed his arms over his chest. He looked hesitant to answer and Jack saw the bit of hurt in his eyes for just a moment before it was gone. "What's it ta you, Kelly?"

Shrugging, Jack shivered a bit in the cold air. He had no idea how Spot was out here in nothing more than a flannel, jeans and tennis shoes. "I dunno, it just don't look like you packed or anythin'," the older boy said. "N' you've never said anythin' so's I was just wonderin'. If you want, I can help ya pack—"

"What, you afraid I might burn the place down if I just stay here?" Spot asked, almost making a joke but sounding more like he was just trying to push Jack out so he could do something else. Jack recognized the tone of voice. It's the same one his little brother would use when he wanted to cry.

With a small shake of his head, Jack squinted. "Wait, you're really not goin' anywhere? You're gonna stay here… by yourself?"

Spot scowled a little bit. "What do you care? It ain't like we're friends…"

Heart clenching a little bit at that statement, Jack bit his lip. Spot had been living with them for about five months now and all Jack truly new about him was that he had an odd nickname. No one knew why, really, but the boy hated being called anything else. So, if Jack were being honest with himself, he truly didn't know why he cared. All he knew was that he did. So Jack sighed. "Maybe we should change that," he tried.

A bitter smile made itself known on Spot's face as he shook his head and let out a breathy laugh. "Are you bein' serious?" he asked, shoving his hands in his pockets as the cold began to catch up to him. When Jack just shrugged in response, he shook his head. "I don't got nowhere ta go, alright? My old man… I just… don't got nowhere ta go…" he admitted, his voice a bit quiet.

Those words hit Jack hard. He stood there dumbfounded, having not expected Spot to open up without a small fight, though it occurred to him that maybe the boy genuinely wanted someone to know. After all, being alone during this time of year shouldn't be something anyone had to endure.

Jack's heart broke a little bit when the boy shrugged and fell a few steps back. "I'll… I'll see ya—" Spot stuttered, turning back towards the apartment.

"Spot, wait," he called, not knowing at all what he was about to say, just knowing he had to say something. Quickly, he finished loading his backseat up before he locked the car and ran up to the younger boy. "Look, I know that we ain't exactly close, but… **there's no way I'm lettin' you spend Christmas alone**."

Squinting up at him, Spot scoffed. "I'm sure I'll survive—"

"My family's big n' loud but we got lots a' room n' lots a' food—" Jack began, scratching at the back of his neck, feeling odd and awkward offering this near stranger a ride home with him for Christmas.

"Wait, what?" Spot tried to ask.

But Jack continued talking. "My mama's really welcomin', she'll adopt you in like three seconds." It was only sort of a joke. Jack loved his mother. "I know that it's weird n' my family's a little bit crazy but… no one should have ta be alone on Christmas…" he finally finished.

Simply stunned and at a loss for words, Spot stared at him, his mouth hanging open for a long moment. It almost looked like he was about to laugh. Jack waited for him to say no and lock himself back inside the apartment. He'd known as it was coming out of his mouth that it was a long shot. Still, he'd asked, knowing there was no possible way that Spot would actually— "O-Okay…"

Jack froze for a moment, not knowing how to proceed. A small smile spread on his lips as he shrugged. "Okay," he breathed, seeing his breath blow in front of his face in the cold air. "Let's go get your things, then." He shoved his gloved hands in his pockets and walked with the young man back up to the apartment. "Hey, how good are you with bein' jumped on at five AM?"


	2. Run, Rudolph, Run

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you to all who read and reviewed and liked and all that! Much love to you all!
> 
> Chapter Quote: "No we're not getting a puppy for Christmas. Stop. Asking."

"Wait so… you have nine siblings?"

It surprised Jack how long he'd officially held a conversation with Spot. After months of only getting one word answers from him or slight nods of the head, he'd thought the boy was mostly mute, but from the looks of it, he was actually somewhat excited to be here. It was hard to tell with the tough demeanor and the serious resting face. He still had yet to see the kid actually smile.

With a small laugh, Jack nodded. "Okay so I'm the oldest," he said, continuing down the road. They were getting close and he could hardly contain how thrilled he was to finally be going home. "Then there's Specs, Charlie, Racer, Henry, JoJo, Smalls, Mike and Ike and Romeo." He knew that it was a lot to take in for someone who hadn't grown up with a new brother — or sister — every week. Okay, maybe that was an exaggeration, but he truly hardly noticed that their family was even that big anymore. "Racer's my half brother and the rest are my adopted siblings. Smalls is my only sister and she's deaf, but she's very social. Romeo will talk your ear off, the twins will try to convince you that there's four of them and there's gonna be lots of languages happening— do you know any other languages?"

Spot's eyes were slightly wide but he shrugged. "Uh, Spanish? Sort of. Just what I can remember from high school—"

"So that'll help you with the Italian and I'm mostly the one that uses Spanish so you should be good," Jack smiled, turning onto his old street and smiling as a large house came into view. "Okay so… I know that this was last minute and I'm really glad that you're here but I also don't know you very well so I gotta just say real fast that… this is my family," he stated, glancing over at the boy he really knew nothing about. "They're loud and obnoxious and really nosey, but they are the most important thing in the world ta me and if you hurt any of them I might have ta kill you."

Spot raised up his hands in a sign of peace but he said nothing as they rolled into the driveway. "Are you sure this is okay? I mean… I can still go back ta the apartment. There's already a lot of people here and—"

"And we're already here," Jack smirked. "Look, if you really don't wanna be here, I will drive you back myself but just… give it a chance," he offered. He knew what it was like to spend Christmas alone, seeing families unite and laugh and go caroling all the while he was in a group home with no decorations, no cookies, no presents and no one to share anything with. "Give it a day."

With a small sigh, Spot nodded and the pair slid out of the truck. Jack let Spot grab his single suitcase as he slung his Santa bag over his shoulder and left the rest of his things for later, leading his roommate up the long driveway to the front door. Jack tried not to cringe. He could hear the noise from outside. He didn't even have to knock on the door before it was pulled open and a little boy was standing in front of him with his mouth open wide and his eyes shooting upwards at him in excitement. "Jackie! Mama, Jackie's home!"

A big grin took over Jack's face. "Romeo!" he shouted back, scooping the boy up in one arm. "Hey, conejito! You've gotten so big!" At four years old, Romeo was the baby of the family. He was growing so fast, learning so many languages and diving into the world head first. "Ro, this is my friend Spot, can ya say 'hi'?" he asked, turning so the boy could see his roommate who was looking down at the ground, scratching at the back of his neck awkwardly.

"Hi, Spot! I'm Romeo!" the boy said happily. "I'm four!"

Spot smiled at him and waved. "Hi…" He barely got that much out before Jack was being attacked at the legs by two identical boys.

"Whoa, whoa, whoa, watch the goodies," Jack warned as the twins squealed and wrapped themselves around his legs. They were small for six year olds but the pediatrician said they were on track to be growing just like all the other kids in their class. Jack nodded for Spot to follow him as he managed to slowly walk forward with three kids on top of him. "Mike and Ike, this is Spot," he introduced whilst still trying to get through the door. "Spot, I'm pretty sure Mike's on my left and Ike's on my right."

In his position, Jack couldn't really turn to see if the quick release of air he heard behind him was a laugh or not. He decided to pretend it was even if it wasn't.

"Ma?" Jack called, managing to make it into the kitchen where even more kids were waiting. Seven year old Smalls was up on the counter and seventeen year old Specs was making cookies around her. "Hey! Dee and Dum, there's cookies!" Jack shouted excitedly, watching, much to his amusement, Specs look up in shock as the twins jumped up from his legs and rushed over to the sugary treats. Specs immediately stood in front of them, guarding the things.

"No! You can't eat these yet, it's too early!" he scolded, shelling both Smalls and the counter. The younger boy glared back at his big brother. "Thanks a lot, Jackie."

With a laugh, Jack shrugged. "Hey, it's every man for himself around here," he joked, giving Smalls a small wave as she turned around excitedly to him. She signed wildly at him and Jack grinned at her, so excited that he was finally back home. Letting Romeo slide to the ground as he looked back at Spot who was looking around the large house and taking in every detail. "Here, let me show ya to the guest room," Jack offered, shuffling through the large out that people were always so shocked by.

For some reason, folks always expected him to come from a poor family. Maybe that was fair with the way he spoke and acted, but that was only because he'd been adopted into wealth and he didn't take many things for granted. People also expected the mansion to be an utter disaster when they walked through the door with so many kids around to leave toys and games all over the ground, but that wasn't the case. It never had been.

Dropping off his Santa bag by the Christmas tree, Jack nodded over to the stairs beside him. "It's a lot quieter in there. I know that this can be a little overwhelming at first, but they're impossible not ta love," he said, looking down at the younger boy who nodded mutely.

" **No, we're not getting a puppy for Christmas. Stop. Asking** ," somebody said from around the corner and Jack put out a hand to stop Spot from walking up any more steps. When a boy rounded the corner, Jack could only grin again. That was JoJo, so Charlie must be right behind him.

Reaching forward, Jack easily pulled the ten year old to him and threw him over his shoulder. The boy squealed. "Jackie!"

"Don't listen ta mean old Charlie," Jack said, walking up the rest of the stairs. "He's just old and bitter now 'cause he stopped believin' in Santa Claus."

When he got to the top of the stairs, he saw a boy with blond hair and a crutch under his arm glaring at him. "Wow. And Ma says I'm the one that needs ta stop gettin' his hopes up." Charlie's face melted into a smile before he could help it and he limped closer to Jack for a hug. "Welcome home, JJ."

Jack ruffled the kid's hair and turned around to find the boy who hadn't said one word since they'd entered the house. "Boys, this is Spot. He's my roommate who's currently having a sensory overload, n' he's gonna be spending Christmas with us," Jack smiled. "Spot this is JoJo and Charlie. You're seven down and two ta go, plus Mama." He felt a pang of guilt in his stomach as he still hadn't told his mother, but he knew deep down she wouldn't care. She was the best person he knew.

Nodding along, Spot looked around vaguely as JoJo slid down to the floor and pressed into Charlie's side.

Someone jumped on his back from behind and Jack glanced down at the person's arms. "And this is Henry," he concluded. Henry giggled on his back and hugged him tightly. Jack twisted his neck so he could press a kiss to the boy's cheek.

A squeal escaped the boy as he extended his hand out towards Spot who hesitantly took it. "Hi! I don't know you, but I'm sure I'll be your favorite," Henry decided, sliding back down to the floor. "I gotta go start dinner. Mama says she's wrapping and no one's allowed in her room!" he shouted as he rushed down the stairs.

Jack laughed and shook his head. "Alright, the guest room is right over here," he said, leading a quiet Spot down the hall a few doors until he opened the last one at the end of the hall, revealing a beautifully decorated room. The walls were painted a deep, romantic kind of red and the golden accent made one think they were staying in some kind of five star hotel and on the wall to their left was an abstract mural with so many colors lining through it that most people wondered how it somehow went with the rest of the simple room. "Ma let me do this room. Every time I was bored as a kid I would paint that wall and move the furniture around—"

"You painted that?" Spot breathed, his eyes wide at the sight of the painting though he had no idea what the story was behind it.

That painting was years old now. Jack could remember all of the nights he'd spent in front of it, crying, laughing, angry and anxious. He'd painted it and repainted it so many times. "Yeah. It's… a complicated piece," he smirked. "But I like the way it turned out." Walking into the room, Jack pointed over to the door to his right. "That's the bathroom, closets on my left if ya wanna use it, an' this whole space is yours for however far you make it," the young man said, sitting at the edge of the bed and glancing up at Spot. "Now I'd like to formally thank you for not runnin' for the hills already."

Spot shrugged. "Well, you're kinda my ride…" he admitted, not knowing what else to say.

Just as Jack might've come up with some kind of retort, he was, quite literally, tackled back onto the bed by a tall bundle of a fifteen year old. "Zombie attack!" the child yelled. A grin took over his face as Jack quickly overpowered the other boy, flipping their positions so he was on top of Race, pinning him down to the mattress.

"Bring it, kid!" Jack challenged. Without warning, he began to tickle the boy relentlessly, relishing in the giggles that he got in return. He was always the stronger one, physically, out of the two of them. He pinned one of the boy's hands down as the other lightly hit at him as he begged him to stop through mounds of laughs and squeals.

"Okay!" the boy wheezed. "I give up! You get ta live!" Jack grinned in victory as he sat up, pulling the boy up beside him as he caught his breath and leaned onto him, hugging the young man's arm. Jack didn't notice it when the kid went silent at the sight of the stranger in the room.

"Spot, this is my idiot— I mean, my little brother, Racer," Jack said, a bit out of breath. "Racer, this is Spot."

Looking back, Jack caught the boy's big blue eyes wide as he took in the sight of Spot. "Wow… Jackie, you didn't tell me you had hot friends," Racer whispered before he stood up and extended his hand. "Hi, I'm Jack's idiot and I'm very gay."

"Okay!" Jack said, standing up to push Race away from his roommate, wrapping his arm over the boy's shoulders to keep him firmly at his side. "Sorry about him. In fairness, he is very gay—"

"Very gay," Race echoed, before Jack wrapped a hand over his mouth.

"But he's also very irritating and he's only fifteen—"

"Eighteen," Race tried to interrupt, pushing Jack's hand away.

Jack scoffed and let out a small laugh, before looking back up to find a small smile on Spot's face. "It's okay… hey, it's nice ta meet you," he waved. Race grinned. Jack bit his lip.

"So Spottie, do you have ta work for those muscles or are they natural—"

"Okay, I'm gonna take him out of here now and tell my ma that you're here," Jack said, easily lifting his brother over his shoulder in a fireman's carry. "Feel free ta unpack… or don't," Jack shrugged.

"Do!" Race shouted. "Do unpack! I can stay and help if ya want—"

"I will be downstairs, obviously you have my number if ya really need somethin' but everyone around here is super welcomin' and can help ya with whatever ya need," Jack explained quickly. "Welcome ta the Larkin home…"

With that, Jack left, carrying a very talkative Racer over his shoulder and leaving Spot behind him. He didn't turn back to see.

But Spot had a small smile on his face. He quickly shook it off and looked around at the beautiful room. He supposed he could stay for a while.

Maybe things wouldn't be so bad.


	3. Marshmallow World

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Quote: "You don’t put marshmallows in your hot chocolate? YOU HEATHEN.”

“... n’ then I was a dragon n’ I could breathe fire n’ fly! Like this!” Spot had to admit, watching Romeo run around in a circle like a little dragon was undeniably adorable and the eighteen year old decided right then and there that this kid needed to be protected at all costs. Sometimes he wished he had a younger sibling to look after, fawn over and protect. The kid was so innocent and it was humbling to see.

Apparently, it was now time for dinner.

Jack seemingly appeared out of nowhere to scoop Romeo up beneath his armpits and set him in his seat. “Hey, Spot! Ya settling in okay?” he asked as the four year old giggled and settled into his seat right across from Spot. Jesus, this table was huge. It was like a dining hall type of table that sat in the dining room and ran really long and there was only one spare chair that he now occupied as a million, or ten kids, Spot corrected himself, all found their seats.

“Racer, no you cannot sit next ta him. Go help Henry serve the food,” he heard Jack say somewhere behind him. Spot turned to look at his roommate only to find him standing beside a woman, the only person in this house that the boy had yet to meet. Jack’s mother.

She was a plump, beautiful woman with dark skin and a smile that made a warmth spread across Spot’s chest. He stood as Jack and her made their way over to him. “Spot, this is my mama. Mama, this is my roommate, Spot.” 

“Hi…” he waved awkwardly. “You have a lovely home.” The kid had no idea what he was doing, what he was supposed to say here. “Thank you for letting me stay here, ma’am—“

“Oh no, no, none of that,” the woman scolded playfully, holding out her hands. “There ain’t no need for formalities here, honey. You’re with Medda now.”

If there was ever a way to inject one single person with all of the kindness and welcome energy in the world, Miss Medda had certainly found a way. All Spot could do was smile as the woman made her way to her seat at the head of the table and Jack pulled at Racer’s arm when he tried to take the seat next to Spot’s. Jack just shook his head and Spot had to bite his lip to keep from laughing a little bit as his roommate sat down next to him.

The fifteen year old pouted as he sat across from and two seats down from Spot. But when he found Spot looking at him, he managed a pitiful wave. The young man waved back with a small smirk and the blond blushed a little before grabbing a piece of bread and serving himself some lasagna that smelled so good.

Before Spot knew it, there was a plate in front of him and his eyes widened as he took in the sight of this homemade meal. Back at the apartment, the best that Spot, Jack or Davey really did was heat up a frozen meal from the store. From what he’d heard, Jack wasn’t too bad of a cook, but the man was rarely ever actually home. Mostly, he played loud video games online with whom Spot could only now assume were his brothers and then he slept. “Whoa…” he breathed a bit.

“Yeah,” Jack nodded beside him, already digging into his own meal. “Henry is gonna be the next culinary sensation, at least that’s what he says—“

“It’s gonna happen, Jackie,” Henry insisted.

“So he likes to experiment by makin’ everyone dinner. No one’s died yet so Mama let’s him.” Judging by the thud that Spot heard coming from beneath the table and the yelp his roommate let out, the young man guessed Jack had just been kicked.

Spot glanced around for a moment, watching as so many people had their own conversations as the room slowly grew louder and louder. He even saw the only little girl of the family signing away. He made sure not to let his eyes wander over to that conversation. Even if he had no idea what any of it meant, it felt like eavesdropping. So he tried to force himself to take a bite of food before he couldn’t stop. This might’ve been the best thing he had ever eaten.

“So, Spot, I realize that this was all very last minute,” Medda said as Spot tried very hard to try and keep himself from scarfing down this delicious meal. “I assume Jack didn’t tell you about some of our family traditions.” Something in Spot’s chest clenched at that as he shook his head. “That’s perfectly okay and I don’t want you to feel obligated to participate in any of them, just know that we’d love to have you—“

A little gasp sounded from across the table. “Mama, can Spot be my buddy?” Spot was beginning to think that little Romeo might be his favorite.

“Buddy?” the eighteen year old asked.

“Oh yes,” Medda nodded easily, still cutting up one of the twin’s dinners. “Every year on December twenty third we go for a walk as a family to see all of the Christmas lights and watch our neighborhood light up the tree in the middle of the park. Everyone has to have a buddy to keep from getting lost.” Her words were so smooth and calming that Spot found himself relaxing at her very tone of voice. “I understand if you don’t want to come, but it is one of the most beautiful trees you’ll ever see and it’s much more fun than being home alone.” 

Without even skipping a beat, one of the kids that Spot couldn’t remember the name of scoffed. “I’m sorry, ma, if I had the chance to live out Home Alone, I’d send you all away in a heartbeat.” That was the one they’d first seen at the top of the stairs. Joey or something. One of his brothers reached over to slap him over the head and that only resulted in a small, contained food fight. Medda didn’t seem bothered in the least. 

Spot was feeling more and more out of place by the second. He couldn’t remember having any traditions like this, at least, not one that everyone was excited about. “Yeah, I tried ta stay home but I don’t think your son can really take no for n’ answer.” 

“He knows how ta take no for an answer when it’s appropriate,” Medda corrected with a smile. “When someone is trying to be alone on Christmas, all of my kids know not to take no for an answer.” Medda said. “Now, where were we…” 

By the time dinner was over, Spot knew every tradition that would be happening over the next couple of days. First was tonight, a walk to the park with hot chocolate and buddies and caroling out in the snow. He felt like he’d been swallowed up into some cheesy Christmas film that he never got to watch. 

These people literally set out a hot chocolate bar. Everyone got their own holiday themed mug and they got to put whatever toppings they wished on it. It was a madhouse of sugar. 

Spot waited for all the kids to have their fill of candy canes and marshmallows, opting to not try and get in this insane line of people just for a little mug of hot chocolate. Soon enough, a thin shoulder bumped his own. “So, you never answered my question,” Racer said. “Natural or defined? Just… asking for a friend.” 

With a small smirk, Spot looked over at the boy. The kid was about his height, if not a little taller. He had some muscle on him and his blond curls were untamed and wild on his head. “I may or may not be a black belt in karate,” he informed the boy. “And I may or may not work out twice a day before and after I teach a class.”

The way that kid looked at him made Spot blush a little. “Wow. I might have ta actually visit my brother a little more ta see what you actually look like under that sweater—“

“Racer!” Jack scolded from the other side of the room whilst helping Smalls make a mug of hot chocolate. Spot had to admit, it impressed him how scary Jack could look while holding a little girl in his arms.

Race stuck his tongue out at his brother before he looked back to Spot. “So, would you care for some of the finest hot chocolate you’ve eva’ tasted?” 

With a raise of his eyebrows Spot nodded. “Uh, sure… just lemme know when it gets here.”

It was truly amazing how fast the boy’s smug smile could fall. Not only that, it amazed him how much the kid resembled his big brother despite them looking nothing alike. Every facial expression he made was one that Spot had seen on Jack at one point or another. “Hey! I take challenges very seriously around here! Ask anyone!” he offered.

“He ain’t kiddin’,” Specs informed from over Race’s shoulder, taking a sip of his own hot chocolate. 

Spot nodded. “Alright, Racer. Let’s see what you got.” Race scoffed playfully and rounded the counter, coming to a stop by the sugar. He poured hot chocolate into a little snowman mug and then got to work. First came one candy cane that stuck out the side, then came about a mountain of whipped cream along with chocolate syrup, crushed candy cane pieces, chocolate chips and— “Whoa, hold the marshmallows,” Spot said, walking closer to the boy.

The blond gaped at him with big blue eyes. “I’m sorry… hold on… You don’t put marshmallows in your hot chocolate? YOU HEATHEN.”

The loud shot got nobody’s attention so Spot had to assume Race said these kinds of things everyday. So he shrugged. “Hey, ya don’t keep abs like these by fillin’ up on sugar,” the young man smirked. “Plus, I ain’t neva’ been much of a marshmallow person.”

“Oh my God, and to think I was ever attracted to you,” Racer breathed, his eyes wide like someone had just betrayed him before he closed his mouth and shrugged. “No, scratch that, I’m still attracted to you,” he decided, sliding him the mug of chocolate and peppermint.

This boy was adorable. Spot just laughed as he took the cup. “Keep dreamin’, kid,” he said, taking a sip of his hot cocoa and turned around to try and get away. He was ninety percent sure that if Jack heard him playfully bantering with this impressionable fifteen year old he’d be dead within the hour. And speaking of Jack, he was right behind Spot as he turned.

“Oh hey! So, if ya wanna come, ya don’t gotta buddy up with no one, but—“

“I-it’s fine. I’ll go,” Spot shrugged hesitantly, feeling more silly than anything else standing in front of this man with a mug of hot chocolate in his hand. He wasn’t sure exactly why. It might’ve been because he was so used to being stoic and serious around him.

Jack smiled and nodded. “Oh good,” he said, sounding like he was slightly out of breath. “Just, uh… no buddyin’ up with Racer, yeah?”

Spot scoffed and nodded. “Yeah he’s uh…”

“Yeah,” Jack agreed without even finishing that thought. “Anyways, you can stick with me or Medda if ya want. Or you can stick with Romeo. He definitely likes talkin’ your ear off.”

Spot nodded as he glanced back towards Racer. The blond grinned at him and gave him a big wave and Spot nodded back at Jack. “Yeah, I… I can stick with Romeo,” he supposed, taking a sip of his hot chocolate and wondering what on earth was happening.

All he knew was that he was all warm inside.

It must’ve just been the hot chocolate.


	4. It’s Beginning to Look a Lot Like Christmas

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello all! 
> 
> No quote for this scene

So, as Spot was discovering, things at the Larkin home tended to get a little intense when it came to bedtime. True to his roommates words, the twins did try to convince him that they were quadruplets. Spot still had no idea how they’d gone in through one door and magically ended up behind him when he turned around but one thing was for sure. They were witches. 

So many children around here were yelling and Spot was only trying to get to the safety of the quiet guest room. Jack was busy downstairs with Medda. Something about an elf and a shelf and a “do not tell the kids!” so Spot figured he would just go to bed and try to figure out what these feelings were that were swirling around in his chest. 

Everything in this house seemed to be some kind of friendly competition. As Romeo had held his hand walking to see the tree lights and the light snow, others had been racing around him to see who could get there first. Somehow, and Spot may never know how, it had been Charlie. He’d looked very smug when he’d turned around to greet the rest of them. 

Even after that, it seemed the boys had a bet to see who could see who could sing the loudest. Jack mostly just danced around with Smalls and signed the lyrics to countless Christmas carols with her. It was honestly one of the most adorable things that Spot had ever seen. 

He needed to get away from it all before he actually melted. So he made his way past four of the twins and a tiny Smalls who tried to sign to him only for Charlie to translate that she was only saying goodnight and then he ducked out of the way as Henry kicked and writhed over Specs’s shoulder to eventually open the door to find Racer sitting on the floor of the guest room. 

It seemed only appropriate to make a joke at first, after their established relationship from the last couple of hours had only been a chaotic mesh of playful flirting — which Spot needed to put an end to. He knew he did. The kid was only that. A kid. But when the boy didn’t even look up at him, Spot paused as it occurred to him that the boy might not actually be in here to see him. “Racer?” he ended up asking. It was almost amusing how the boy nearly jumped out of his skin, but Spot held back his laugh as he shrugged. “You okay?” 

“Oh, yeah!” Race grinned. “I’m so sorry, I totally forgot that you, like… are gonna be sleepin’ in here…” This kid was really entertaining. “Sorry, I just… normally come in here ta look at Jack’s painting before I go ta sleep.” 

As amused as Spot was, he had to admit to himself how incredibly sweet that was. With a sigh, Spot made his way down to the kid, sitting with his legs crossed as his back leaned up against the bed, just as Racer’s was. “I’m still just tryin’ ta figure out what it means,” he said. 

“It’s our story,” Racer said with almost no thought at all. 

Spot glanced over at him. “What?” 

The blond stood easily, walking over to the wall. “To everyone else it just looks like a bunch a’ squiggly lines but… it ain’t, just like how ta most people I just look like an innocent kid, when I can assure you that I’m very mature for my age and—“ the boy spouted out so dramatically. 

“I’m gonna stop ya right there, Juliet,” Spot teased, standing and nodding over to the painting. “So, what’s the story?” 

Clearing his throat and straightening up his non-existent tie, Racer turned back to the painting. “Well, you see here,” he began, pointing towards two intertwined lines, one blue and one golden. “These two lines are seen more than one time throughout this painting in various positions, always drawn towards each other. Blue is Jackie’s favorite color and he associated this particular shade of gold with me, so you’ve gone from point A to point B, you’re a master of the arts now, you’re welcome.” 

Letting his mouth hang open a bit Spot laughed. “Oh my God, I’m a genius now? Wow, I’d like to thank so many people—“ 

Racer just scoffed and nodded, shoving Spot’s shoulder a bit as he spun back around and sat on the bed. He looked like an adorable little puppy with his curls, a huge mess from the wind outside and his matching pajama set and slippers. “For real though… it’s me and Jack. Sort of… I usually come in here before bed because… I don’t know, it makes me feel closer ta him. It’s stupid—“ 

“It ain’t,” Spot assured, sitting down beside the kid. “You n’ Jack… ya must a’ been through a lot together…” he said, gesturing to the very complex mural he was now staring at. Maybe Jack was actually more interesting than he’d originally though. To be completely honest, that was already true. Spot hadn’t even known that Jack had been adopted, much less that he had nine siblings or was this good of an artist. Sure, he knew that Jack was an art major, but that didn’t mean anything. 

“Yeah,” Race smiled. “Everything… see the first lines I pointed to was when I was born, n’... ya see how they get separated after that? Then the blue one starts ta get smaller n’ thinner n’ almost disappear n’ the gold one’s tryin’ ta get to it n’ then… the opposite happens… we had quite the eventful childhood,” he explained, sounding all too happy about what sounded like a truly awful story. Spot’s heart broke a little for him but it was hard to be sad when the kid smiled at him like that. “Oh, ain’t ya so attracted ta me now that ya know I have a dark, mysterious past?” 

Spot rolled his eyes. “Okay, kid, ya should leave before I take my shirt off, I don’t know if it’s a good idea for you ta—“ 

“Oh dear God, please take off your shirt,” Racer begged as Spot stood back up and shook his head. 

“No, I was told not to encourage you,” Spot chuckled lightly. 

The boy pouted. “But I’m so encourageable!” he whined. Spot was beginning to wonder what this boy saw in him. He supposed that he was very much in shape, but that was about it. The kid didn’t even know if he was gay. 

He didn’t tell anybody anymore. 

Maybe he was drawn to the boy because he was so confident and forthright with what he was thinking and who he was. That was something to be proud of and Spot wished he could just live like that, just be outright himself. It sounded so much easier than it was. “If Jack finds you in here—“ 

“He can’t hurt me. He loves me too much,” Racer shrugged. “Okay, that sounded like a joke, but it’s one hundred percent true. This family is like… ours n’ we love them, but we were all each other had for a long time… man, I love that guy.” 

Hearing it all made something in Spot’s chest tighten because so long ago, he’d known what that felt like, to have an unbreakable bond like that with a person, to just understand that no matter what they’d be there for each other. But that was a long time ago. 

Before Spot could come up with any kind of response, the door was knocked on and then opened and a very annoyed looking Jack peaked in as he leaned against the doorframe. He whistled and used his finger to gesture to his brother to come closer. “Hey, you. Out,” he ordered easily. The way Race pouted and let his head hang low just made him look even more so like the little puppy Spot was convinced he was. Still, the boy did as he was told, giving one sly glance back to Spot. Spot refrained from sending him a quick wink. Instead he just smiled as Race was pushed gently from the room. “I said no encouraging—“ 

“He was in here when I got here,” Spot defended. “Told me the story a’ this paintin’... at least, what it’s about.” The young man shrugged, admiring the craftsmanship again. 

Jack bit his lip. “Yeah… like I said… it’s complicated,” he shrugged, glancing back down the hall towards Racer’s room. He sighed. “Ma’s real happy you’re here, by the way. Told ya she’d adopt ya in three seconds.” The man yawned. Spot never cared much to actually get a good look at Jack, but now that he was, the man looked so young and somehow seemed so wise. It wasn’t like Spot didn’t know he was an idiot who had once nearly jumped off their apartment balcony on a bet, it was just that something felt different now. The things that Racer had said were swirling around in his mind. He wondered what the disappearing of the line meant, though he didn’t wonder for long, not knowing if he actually wanted the answer at all. Maybe it meant nothing but he knew that probably wasn’t the case. “Anyway, tomorrow’s the annual Christmas Eve party so there might be a lot a’ noise out here in the mornin’, but there will be Christmas Tree shaped pancakes, or… ‘ornament shaped’ pancakes if Henry lets Specs make a few,” Jack informed. 

Spot nodded with a small smile. “Thanks.” 

The older boy nodded back, offering him a small wave. “Goodnight, Spot.” Jack almost turned to walk away. “Oh, and uh… if ya don’t want kids — or Racer, for that matter, barging in at God knows what hour, I’d lock the door.” 

And just like that, Spot was left alone. He did lay in bed but he spent a long while staring at the painting on the wall. He pulled a small necklace out from beneath his shirt. It was nothing much, just a little key. He held it gently in his hand as he stared at the painting, watching the story pass before his eyes until finally blue and gold were back with each other on the other side. 

Before he knew it, Spot was fast asleep, something a little lighter in his chest. 


	5. Let it Snow

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Quote: “Die Hard is a Christmas movie and I’ll fight you if you say anything else!”

Suffice to say, Spot definitely forgot to lock the door before he fell asleep. 

Romeo had jumped on his chest. Spot had nearly jumped out of his skin before he’d looked up to see the little boy on top of him. He reminded himself to calm down before he looked over at the clock on the wall. It was five twenty three in the morning. 

“Spottie! It’s Christmas Eve!” 

Suddenly, there had to be at least ten kids on top of him, excitedly bouncing on the bed and telling him to get up. “It’s Christmas Eve! It’s Christmas Eve!” 

“Hey, what’s goin’ on in here?!” Spot rubbed at his eyes and ran a hand through his hair as Race rushed into the room. Jack was not going to like this. The blond boy laughed, crossing his arms over his chest as Spot groaned tiredly. “Good mornin’, Spottie,” Race smirked. “Kiddies, get downstairs and start on chores, okay?” 

Spot ran a hand down his face as the children giggled and rushed away, leaving only one Race. “Jesus Christ, God ain’t even awake right now,” Spot groaned. He’d actually thought Jack was joking when he’d spun all those stories about being jumped on by far too many energetic kids all hours of the night. 

Race didn’t move from beside the bed. “So, what are you wearin’ under there—“ 

This boy was truly impossible. He literally always had something flirty waiting to be said. It was so early in the morning. “Are you tryin’ ta get me killed?” the young man laughed. 

“Okay, but like, boxers or—“ 

“Racer!”

Race only giggled. It was a bright sound, something that made Spot’s chest lift up a little bit. “Whatever, can you blame me? I mean look at your arms. I just wanna know what everything else looks like—“ A hand clamped down over his mouth as Jack, clad up in his red and black pajamas that Spot had never seen before, entered the room. 

Spot slowly sat up in his tank top, making sure his blanket didn’t fall off of him and further than that. He could still feel Race’s eyes on him. If he were being honest with himself, he didn’t mind it. The kid was amusing as hell and he was fueling Spot’s ego by the second. “I told you to lock the door,” Jack said, pulling Race to his chest. The boy licked his brother’s hand make Jack shove him away, making a disgusted face as he wiped his hand on the fifteen year old’s shirt. “Tyler!” Jack cried. 

Only laughing, Race stepped closer to Spot. “So, anyways, on Christmas Eve when us older kids are wide awake at five AM, we all lay in Jack’s room and watch Die Hard— and before you say it, **Die Hard is a Christmas movie and I’ll fight you if you say anything else!** ” The love struck kid could only keep a straight face for a moment before a small grin broke out on his face. “Actually, I’d be down for that. Can you just throw me up against the wall with—“ 

“Jesus, Teej!” Jack scolded. “Out! Get out, and let me scrub that image from my mind!” Race giggled and ducked under Jack’s arms as he rushed out of the room. 

It was nearly impossible not to laugh but somehow Spot managed to bite his lip and force down a smile. “He’s adorable,” he commented. And when Jack gave him a murderous look Spot raised up his hands in surrender. “Not like that, like a little puppy! Very different,” he clarified quickly, not quite ready to see what would happen if Jack thought he was flirting back with his baby brother. He was, playfully, but Jack didn’t need to know that. “I’m sorry, I ain’t tryin’ to encourage him,” the young man said sincerely. 

With a heavy sigh, Jack nodded. “Yeah, I know. Most people aren’t. Sometimes I think he’s just really good at encouraging himself,” he stated. “Anyway, he ain’t lyin’,” Jack said. “Die Hard is a Christmas movie and we’re gonna watch it. You can join us as long as you sit on the opposite from the room of my bubba and put a sweater on or somethin’,” he said. 

Letting out a small laugh, Spot tilted his head a bit. “I, uh… I've never seen Die Hard,” he admitted with a small shrug. He wasn’t sure what he expected but the look that Jack gave him wasn’t it. It was like someone had just full on betrayed his roommate and ripped his heart out of chest before stomping on it and walking away. 

“What the hell are you waitin’ for?! Get out of bed!” Jack ordered, turning to the door. “And put a shirt on!” 

Spot did as he was told with a tiny smile on his face. He pulled on a sweatshirt and some sweatpants before finding his way to Jack’s room. Racer was cuddled up against Jack’s side with a cup of hot cocoa in his hands. Charlie was sitting beside them with his leg propped up on some pillows and two other boys were curled up on the carpet with some pillows and blankets. There was a pillow and a blanket set out on the opposite side of the room from Racer. Spot smiled and made his way over to it because Henry handed him a mug. “I thought you might want some coffee,” he said right as the young man sat down. 

“Oh my God, you’re a saint,” Spot breathed, taking a sip and melting at the coffee that was somehow more perfect than any cup of coffee he’d ever had before. “Oh my God…” 

“I told you I’d be your favorite,” Henry smirked, diving down to his stomach in front of the TV as the movie started. 

Spot just sat with his back against the wall, looking around the room for a moment. This house was warm in so many ways. It was cozy and it felt safe and Spot wondered how it must’ve felt to grow up here, with so many people who were crazy and affectionate and ready to take anyone in with open arms. 

He shook his head as he turned his head back to the screen and watched the chaos play out in front of him. 

By seven AM, Spot had a new favorite movie.


	6. Silver and Gold

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Alright guys, since it is now officially Christmas Eve, I will be posting the rest of the story all at once. Thank you to all who read this!
> 
> Quote: "How did you get tangled in the tinsel?"

"Okay, so, party starts at seven. Catering gets here at six to set up," Jack explained while handing Specs and Charlie the ball shaped ornaments that were making the tree beside them look so elegant and perfect. Spot had always wondered how much OCD a person would have to be to make a tree, especially one that seemed to be about ten feet tall, look like it had been decorated by a professional set designer. Charlie and Specs seemed to be having no issues making it look truly beautiful. "We help mama keep track of the kids, stay out of her way while she's ordering people around and giving them really big tips and then people come over, dance, break a few glasses, play white elephant and then slowly go home."

The way Jack spoke, his words quick and nonchalant, almost made it sound like that was simple. Spot scratched at the back of his neck, sitting beside his roommate. "Are you sure I ain't gonna be in the way?"

Shaking his head, Jack just continued looping ornament hooks through the tops of the shiny round decorations. "Literally, the whole neighborhood comes ta this party. It ain't like you'll be outta place."

Except that's exactly how Spot felt. This family was so unlike any other he'd ever been near, certainly the opposite of his own. "Okay," he sighed. "What's White Elephant?"

"It's only the greatest game ta play on Christmas Eve, ever!" The voice was beginning to get very familiar and Spot couldn't say he minded that as he turned to see Racer strolling into the room with Smalls up on his hip as he signed and spoke at the same time. "Everybody puts a gift into the game, we sit around in a circle and people choose gifts or steal them from somebody else and whoever finds the Jonas Brothers poster wins!"

Okay, Spot honestly needed to stay away from this kid. He was impossible to not want to tease and it was physically killing Spot that he wasn't supposed to say anything to him. Jack's orders. "That's… almost right," Charlie admitted. "Not about winning. You can't actually win. The Jonas Brothers poster has just been in the game for the past like… six years and it keeps ending up back in the pile." Hanging two more ornaments up, the limping boy smiled. "It's just a stupid game we play. It's real easy."

Thinking back over those words, Spot shrugged. "I don't got a gift," he said shyly, figuring he wouldn't be able to play.

But Jack just laughed. "The fact that you don't think a mother of ten doesn't have an extra set of everything is adorable," he said. "Here, make yourself useful and help decorate the tree," Jack said, handing him an ornament.

Spot took it, almost nervous to place it on the tree. To his surprise, the house didn't collapse around him as he anticipated. And by the time they were done, the tree looked rather nice.

When they were out of ornaments, Spot turned around to find that Jack was talking with Miss Medda and the kiddos were giggling and scheming in the corner and Racer was hoping over to him. "Uh… little help?" he asked, quite literally tied up in mounds of tinsel and ribbon.

It might have actually been the cutest thing Spot had ever seen. "Now how did you get tangled in the tinsel?" he asked, clearly amused, his hands in his pockets, not offering the kid any kind of help whatsoever. His brothers were laughing at him somewhere in the background and Spot just shook his head.

Wiggling a bit, Race pouted. "I was on kid watch n' they wanted ta play a game n' there's so many of them, Spottie," he whined. His legs were stuck closely together and his arms were pinned to his chest. There was a red bow stuck to his forehead. "Please help?"

With a small smile, Spot caved, though it was disappointing to let the kid go without teasing him. No encouraging, he had to remind himself. The kid was fifteen. "Alright, blondie, stay still," he said, unraveling the kid's arms first and then reaching for the bow.

"Thank you," Race sighed, stepping out of the surprisingly strong material. "Although, maybe if it were just us you could leave me like that—"

"Racer…" Charlie warned without even looking at the kid.

"Okay, but seriously, thanks," Racer said, smiling at Spot. "So… like, why are you here? No family ta go home to?" The boy's smile almost made Spot forget about why he was here and not somewhere else.

With only a shrug, Spot bit his lip. "Not anymore," he sighed.

Smile falling at that, Racer actually looked serious for a second. "Oh, I'm sorry…" he said, actually looking very sad for a minute. Spot decided that it was one of his least favorite things.

"Oh don't be… my pop… he…" Spot shrugged again, letting out a breath. "I sort a'... I told him I wasn't onta girls and he… kicked me out…" he admitted, not used to being so open with anyone, much less someone he'd just met. But he liked this kid. "Guess if someone ain't gonna accept ya, why stick around and wait for their approval, right?" he said with a sad smile. Then he walked past the blond, clasping him on the shoulder as he made his way over to his roommate, not wanting the kid to really say anything else.

He didn't need anybody's pity.

But mostly, he hated that sad look that he'd gotten stuck in those big blue puppy dog eyes.


	7. The Secrets of Christmas

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Quote: "You have such a pretty face, you should be on a Christmas Card."

" **You have such a pretty face, you should be on a Christmas card**."

Spot nearly choked on his eggnog.

He'd been standing a bit awkwardly over by the refreshments making small talk with the staff that seemed to be just as happy to be here as the guests were. At first Spot had just assumed it was that they were good at customer service but after talking to a couple of them he actually found that they genuinely liked being at this Christmas party. Medda really was the best host.

And a really great tipper.

But when Spot had heard that flirtatious remark, it had caught him off guard completely. He spun around to be met with, not only Racer, but a red headed boy looking very amused by his side. "Jesus Christ, kid…" he breathed. It was adorable how the blond pouted at being called that. "You have got ta stop this." As much as Spot wanted to mean it, it was difficult.

"Yeah, that ain't gonna happen," the new boy laughed. "Hi, I'm Albert! I'm Jack's idiot's best friend." Spot wondered how that nickname had caught on. He'd heard more than one person use it, including Racer himself and most of his siblings. He wondered if it was just a little something to remind them that, though they had a lot of family now, nothing could ever come close to the bond they'd created. Still, Spot found it more amusing than anything else. "Racer wanted to know if you wanted to help us steal Jack's eggnog."

About a half an hour ago, Jack had disappeared and come back into the room with his own mug full of eggnog. Spot was wondering what the big deal was about it, but Jack wouldn't tell him. "Why?" the young man asked, genuinely curious.

Race glanced over to his brother. "He spikes it," he whispered. It was so cute that that was the big secret. If Spot was correct, Jack was of legal drinking age. At least, he was now. Maybe he hadn't been the year before, but still. "Mama always invites his ex-girlfriend and someone we all assume ta be his ex-boyfriend because she can't leave them off the guest list 'cause she's too much of an angel, and Jackie needs, ya know, somethin' a little extra to survive Amelia's chaotic rants." The boy talked so fast it was almost impossible to keep up. "She's still super into him."

"I bet Katherine would have one or two things ta say about that," Spot laughed, sipping at his own eggnog.

He didn't think anything of that statement until Racer spoke up, "who's Katherine?"

Spot's eyes widened a bit as he turned to the boy, sipping at his drink. "Uh…"

"Oh my God, Jack's dating someone and he didn't tell me! Jackie!" Race yelled, not even knowing exactly where his brother was, just planning on getting his attention by screaming at the top of his lungs.

Jumping in front of him quickly, Spot shook his head. "Hey, stop! I don't need another reason for your brother to want to kill me! Please don't tell him I told you." The ex-boyfriend comment had given Spot pause for a moment before and he tried to push it aside. Jack had been bisexual this whole time and he hadn't said a thing about it, like it was no big deal.

A heavy sigh escaped Albert as a huge grin grew on Racer's face. "Oh boy, here we go."

"You're gonna owe me, Spottie," Racer said much too happily.

"Don't do it, man," Albert warned as Racer elbowed him in the gut. "Do it, man," the redhead corrected himself. Though the moment Racer turned his head back to the eighteen year old, Al was shaking his head at him.

More scared of Jack than of the fifteen year old Spor sighed and let out a breath. "Fine, fine… Whateva' ya want— as long as it ain't illegal!" he warned.

The blond only grinned, crossing his arms over his chest. "Oh don't worry. I'll think of somethin'," he winked before he pulled out from under Albert's arm. "Now if you'll excuse me, duty calls." Spot watched Race wander over to Jack and hug him from behind, reaching for the mug that the older boy held only for Jack to easily pull it away. Racer started talking to the girl that was with Jack.

"Racer always tries to get Jack away from Amelia when she talks to Jack. She's really sweet, she just hasn't moved on yet," Albert explained. "Also… good luck…" he smirked, about to walk away before Spot grabbed for his arm and pulled him back.

"Whoa, whoa, whoa, what the hell does that mean?" he asked almost desperately.

Albert just laughed before walking away, leaving Spot to shake his head and glance into the party. He saw Racer give him a wave. All he could do was hesitantly wave back.

He had no idea what was happening.


	8. Blue Christmas

Okay, so maybe Jack had overreacted. He was only certain that he was right. Still, he couldn't get that look of terror out of his brain. He'd meant to scare Spot, sure. It was his sole purpose as a big brother to be terrifying to anyone who could even potentially hurt his baby brother, or any of his siblings, in any way shape or form. It was always a rule with anyone that Jack brought into his life. Racer was off limits. He was just a kid and he was too young to know what was good for him.

So Jack didn't know why he was standing outside the guest room like he was, scared to knock or enter or do anything. Maybe it was the way Racer had looked at him after Spot had walked away. Maybe it was the fact that Spot hadn't had anyone to go home to and already had close to no friends. Jack had not seen him converse with anyone. Ever. He had no idea where he went when he was out of the apartment and he didn't know enough to actually trust him.

Still, something deep inside of Jack had told him that it would've been a mistake not to bring Spot along and this is where it led them.

With a heavy sigh, Jack finally mustered up the courage to knock on the door. "Spot?" he called gently, glancing down the hall where he saw a pair of big blue eyes peeking out at him. "Spot… can I come in?" He got no reply. So he sighed and bounced a bit on his heels, trying to work up his courage. "I just wanna talk, man… please?" Eventually, the door opened just a little and Jack found his roommate with his suitcase on his bed, clothes folded neatly around it. Jack sighed. "What are you doin'?" he asked dumbly.

"I'm leavin'. I'm sorry, I…" Spot shook his head. "I'm gonna… That was stupid n' I wasn't thinkin' n' I'm just gonna get out of your hair now—"

"Look, I'm sorry I blew up like that," Jack cut him off, hating the way the kid. "I just… he's my brother and I—"

"I get it, alright?" Spot insisted, throwing more things into his suitcase. "I just, I get it… I don't want to cause any trouble. I shouldn't have come. This was a stupid idea and I clearly don't belong here. It was nice of you to invite me, but I think I should just… leave," he rambled a bit. Jack had never heard the kid talk for so long. It was unsettling. "I know that if anyone had ever tried ta touch Mags, I'd a'..." And then it stopped, suddenly and drastically, like Spot had shared too much as he sighed and sat down on the bed behind him.

Jack watched him fiddle with the necklace that he wore, for the first time wondering what it was. It was a little key. Jack had seen Spot wearing it before. He'd just never thought anything of it. "Who's Mags?" he asked quietly.

He regretted it as soon as the words left his mouth. Jack despised it when people asked him about life before Medda, about foster homes and how he'd handled being separated from his only family. He'd much rather just forget it. But Spot just shrugged. "Mags is… was… my sister…"

Something heavy crashed down inside Jack's chest. He bit back a small gasp at the mere idea of losing any of his siblings. He didn't know how he'd be able to move on, to not go back and somehow blame himself because he was in love with every single one of those kids. They all had his heart. But then the thought of Racer crossed his mind and he just about lost it. "Spot, I'm so sorry." he breathed. "I'm so sorry…"

"Yeah. Me too," Spot sighed.

Jack didn't know what else he could say. He didn't know when this had happened, why it had happened or how Spot handled it but he knew that it sucked. It really did suck. "I-I… I can't imagine what that feels like—"

"No one should ever have to know what that feels like," Spot sighed, his shoulders slumping a little. "I just… I don't know, I couldn't stay home alone and being here is like… I've never been around a family like this," he admitted. "You guys are so generous and genuine and accepting and I never had that growing up…"

Jack shrugged. "I didn't get adopted by Medda till I was fifteen," he explained, shaking his head as he thought about it. His gaze caught onto his own mural. "Race was nine. We both had horrible homes and we'd been beaten and starved and worse and then all of the sudden there was Medda. And she didn't care that I was some troubled kid or that Race was some troubled kid, we were just… hers. And I tried so hard to push her away. I was convinced we didn't need her," Jack explained, choking up a bit as he continued. "I went out, I got a boyfriend, don't tell Race I admitted it, it drives him crazy," Jack laughed. "And then… he turned out to be bad news and he…" It was still hard to talk about. Even after all these years Jack just couldn't believe it. "He said some stupid remark about Race and I just… I decked him, right in the middle of this party five years ago." Race had been ten by that time.

Spot looked up at him, not understanding at all. "Okay…"

"I was so sure that Medda was finally just gonna look at me and say… 'that's it'," he said. "I was just so ready ta be thrown out but she just… she just took me into the back room and… hugged me. Like I didn't do nothin' wrong. And I had no idea that someone could just forgive me like that." He watched those colors collide and slip away and come back into focus all at once on that wall. "So, yeah, I'm protective of Racer. I got good reason ta be… but… ya ain't hurtin' him and… ya shouldn't go to the apartment. You should stay," Jack finally finished, turning back to Spot who was sitting sadly on the bed.

The kid looked so torn up and Jack hated that he hated it. Nobody should ever be close enough to kiss Race. Ever. But Jack felt bad for some reason. "I really didn't mean to encourage him. We were just messing around—"

"Yeah, we don't have to talk about it, in fact, let's not," Jack advised. "Look, just… you can talk ta him. He's still a person, just do not lead him on. Please." He didn't need that. Race didn't need that. Nobody needed that.

"I won't," Spot insisted. "He's… just a kid," he shrugged.

Jack just sighed. "Okay, then… we're good—"

Something scuffled outside the door. It was all the young man could do to roll his eyes before he pulled the thing open to find Race falling backwards into the room. "Oh hey!" the idiot grinned. "This is not my room. I musta been sleep walkin' again!"

Jack heard Spot laugh a bit behind him as he helped Race to his feet. "Hey, I'm gonna leave you in here for five minutes, but you betta' be out by the time I get back," Jack insisted. He knew it was stupid, but he wasn't going to disrupt his brother's nightly routine. It was a mess when Race's day was thrown off. His ADHD was strong. The meds were awful and Race hated them so routine seemed the best way to help him sleep at night. "Six feet apart," Jack warned, pointing a finger back at Spot before he slipped out.

And then Spot was left alone with a fifteen year old who only grinned at him.


	9. Winter Wonderland

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> “If you don’t go to bed right now, Santa’s not coming.”

Jack was annoyingly overprotective sometimes. Okay, so maybe Race loved the attention and maybe he loved that his brother cared so much but it also ruined his only chance over ever getting with a college guy and being able to brag about it to all of his friends. Yeah, he wasn’t fooling anyone, he was still going to brag about it. At the very least he’d tell people the truth. A very hot guy had called him ‘pretty boy’ under the mistletoe before his big brother had ruined the moment. 

So Race sat against the bed like he had the night before, taking in the sight of the painting. “So… you think I’m pretty?” Race asked with a cheeky grin as he knew Spot was sitting on the bed behind him. 

A groan escaped the young man. “That was stupid of me to say. You’re a minor. You’re too young—“ 

“Oh it’s three years, it’s not like you’re thirty,” Race insisted, turning around and resting his chin on the top of the mattress. “C’mon, really, Jackie way overreacted!” 

“He’s just lookin’ out f’r you,” Spot insisted. “After all, a guy with a bad reputation like me shouldn’t be hangin’ around an innocent kid like you.” 

Race decided then and there that he hated this guy but also was falling even faster for him. “Stop bein’ so attractive n’ mysterious! It ain’t fair!” he hissed quietly. “Seriously, how do you exist?” 

“Look, I really don’t want your brother to kill me, so you have ta stop flirting,” Spot laughed. “Please.” 

Pouting up at him, Race crossed his arms. “Oh come on. It ain’t like you’re gonna take advantage of me or nothin’. Plus, I think it’s pretty clear how scared you are of my brother,” he scoffed. That always seemed to be a good way to get to people. Jack could be terrifying if he wanted to be and Racer knew it but the fact that he was also a fun loving goofball made people too proud to admit that they were extremely intimidated by him. 

So when Spot scoffed, Race smirked. “I am not scared of him!” 

“Yeah? Then admit you think I’m pretty,” Race challenged, sitting on his knees and resting his chin on his hands as his elbows pressed into the mattress. 

Scoffing, Spot refused to look at him. It was honestly adorable and Race couldn’t help but smile as he watched Spot’s voice lower. “I think you’re pretty…” he muttered. 

A grin spread over Race’s face. He would definitely be bragging about this to literally every person he knew, save for Jack of course. He couldn’t have this hot guy getting murdered before he had a chance to brag about him. “I know what you owe me for keepin’ that secret about… what was her name? Katherine?” 

Spot rolled his eyes at the boy but nodded. “Yeah… what do you want?” he caved, too tired to put up much of a fight.

“Your number,” Race smirked. It was comical to watch Spot realize the huge mistake he’d made right then and there. It didn’t take much to deduce that once Racer had his number, the constant memes and gifs and text messages would never stop coming. “Or we could go find some more mistletoe, I think I know where we have some—“ 

“No, alright, alright, here,” Spot laughed, literally reaching over and stealing Race’s phone from his back pocket. Before Race could make another sassy remark, the brunette punched his number in and saved it before handing the thing back to him. Race grinned. “Do not tell any of your brothers,” Spot warned. 

Race just shrugged. “We’ll just have ta wait n’ see if you actually gave me the right number or not,” he teased, turning back around to the painting. It wasn’t long before Spot joined him. 

“Alright, seriously, nothin’ can happen between us. You’re still a kid in high school,” Spot said. Race hated it when people said that to him. He was more than just some kid or just Jack’s idiot. He was Racer. He knew things about the world. Maybe not a lot, but he could learn. 

“I won’t be a kid in high school forever,” Racer muttered, glancing over at Spot who looked back at him. It looked like there was some kind of understanding in Spot’s eyes before they both focused back on the painting and sat there in a comfortable silence until Jack came back in. 

“Racer,  **If you don’t go to sleep right now, Santa’s not coming** ,” Jack said, leaning against the doorway. “Come on, out,” he said. 

Race rolled his eyes but turned back to Spot and smirked before he got up and left the room. He collapsed on his bed and waited for Christmas to come. It was going to be a great Christmas. 


	10. Here Comes Santa Claus

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> “It’s supposed to snow today.”

“Spottie! Santa came! Get up! Santa came!” 

Spot couldn’t believe he’d once again forgotten to lock the door. The twins, Mike or Ike or Blake or Jake or whatever their names were jumped on top of him with little Romeo running closely behind and one of the older kids hissing in the background. 

As tired as Spot was, he didn’t mind being woken up so early like this. He’d only ever had one sibling and Mags had been older than him. He’d never had anyone jumping on him on Christmas morning with this kind of childlike wonder. So he ran a hand over his face and pulled the blanket over his head. “What time is it?” he groaned playfully. 

“It’s time for presents, duh!” 

Spot laughed, completely exhausted beneath the blankets. “It can’t be time for presents, it ain’t light outside!” 

“It ain’t gonna be light outside,” a much older voice said. “ **It’s supposed to snow today** .” Spot whined and peeked out to see Jack standing amused in his doorway. He looked way too put together for it to be whatever time it was in the morning. It wasn’t morning. As far as Spot was concerned, it was the middle of the night. 

He glanced over at the clock. 

It was six forty five. 

“Alright, everybody out,” Jack ordered. The kids did so without another thought, more than likely rushing down to see what Santa got them. “Alright, Mama and Henry are makin’ breakfast and then we open presents at an agonizingly slow pace, so—“ 

“I don’t wanna impose on your guys’s family Christmas,” Spot mumbled, rubbing at his eyes and rolling over. He wasn’t sure if he was being genuine or if he really wanted to go back to sleep. He was not used to being awake this early. 

A laugh escaped Jack, however, and Spot glared at him a bit as he shrugged. “Santa don’t skip over folks in Medda’s house, Spottie,” he stated vaguely. 

Something inside of Spot swelled at those words. “What?” he asked, not sure if he believed it. A gift, for him. That certainly wasn’t something he’d expected, especially not after last night. And Santa Claus, he envied kids who could believe in such a man. He’d never had that luxury. There was no Santa Claus for him growing up. 

Before Jack could come up with any kind of answer, there was a very familiar blond boy peeking around the corner. Spot sighed a bit at the sight of him. “Oh, Jackie, I keep gettin’ lost, this house is too big,'' Racer pretended while Jack glared down at him. “But ya know, while I’m here, I might as well just stay and make sure Spottie got a good night’s sleep—“ 

Jack shook his head. “Downstairs, bubba,” he ordered. “Or I’m taking back your many, many presents—“

“Okay! Okay, I’m goin’,” Race insisted, raising up his hands in defeat. He gave a cheeky grin and a nod to Spot. “Can ta just tell me if you’re wearin’ pants or not?” 

Jack quite literally shoved Race away at that. Spot smirked. “So… he’s just always gonna be like that, huh?” 

“Yeah, there’s no shuttin’ him up… believe me, we’ve tried,” Jack shrugged. “Anyway, put a shirt on—“

“Or don’t!” Spot heard Racer call from the hallway. “That’s an option too—“

“And get downstairs so we can all watch you open your presents because for some reason Santa thinks you’ve been good this year,” Jack said. “I think he’s gonna be keepin’ a closer eye on you from now on, though,” he warned, and Spot couldn’t say he didn’t see it coming. “If you're not downstairs in about two minutes, I can’t guarantee that five kids won’t be back to jump on you so… I would get up and get movin’ while you still can.” 

With that, Jack left. And all Spot could do was collapse back onto the mattress, staring up at the ceiling before a sort of odd excitement coursed through his chest. 

So he pulled a shirt on and wrapped a sweatshirt over his arms before he slipped downstairs to a room of screaming children. 


	11. The Most Wonderful Time

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> “What did you get?”

If someone had told Spot that he’d be in this extravagant living room with a family of eleven opening presents from Santa Claus on Christmas morning three days ago, he might’ve punched them. Seriously. He had some anger issues. At least, he thought he did. Ever since he’d stepped foot in this house, it was like they no longer existed, in fact the thought of anyone touching any of these kids made Spot want to hunt someone down. 

Oh wait. There it was. Just a different kind of anger issue, he supposed. 

It was true though. If anyone dared to hurt this family, Spot would kill them. He wouldn’t even think twice. 

When he got downstairs, Medda had pulled him onto the couch and had placed a stuffed stocking into his lap. Spot was convinced she was magic. With no heads up that he was coming, this woman had somehow managed to completely go all out for his Christmas visit. 

Spot had never had a stocking. He tried not to tear up when it was placed in his lap. He pulled out sweet little nothings. Some socks, a new toothbrush, some chapstick, a ten dollar gift card to target and a little Brooklyn bridge key chain. He supposed he did have a strong accent, but the fact that they’d been able to get these things for him on such short notice made him want to cry a little bit. 

Still, Spot refused. He had a reputation to uphold, though he supposed he’d already thrown that whole act away. He was still a black belt though. He could hold his own. 

He just had feelings now. 

He pulled little trinkets out of the stocking and someone plopped down next to him. They were shoulder to shoulder and Spot did not have to look up to guess who it was. “Racer—“ 

“I brought you a bag for your stuff and... breakfast!” Racer grinned after his pause for dramatic effect. Spot sighed and looked over at him with an amused smile to find a plate of eggs and a slice of what Spot assumed was coffee cake along with some sausage and bacon. It smelled so good. “It’s a Christmas tradition to have coffee cake after stockings,” Racer explained. 

Spot smiled. “Well, thank you,” Spot said, taking the bag and placing all of his things in it before he took the plate and started eating. “Holy Lord, this is amazing.” 

Racer giggled and picked up his own plate from the coffee table and ate too. Spot decided that that laugh was one of his favorite sounds. He hated that it was, but it was. “Yeah, Henry makes the best coffee cake, he has a secret recipe that he got from his biological sister. She comes around sometimes and they bake together,” Racer explained, leaning a bit more into Spot than he should’ve been. But Spot didn’t say anything. “Also, I have coffee for you.” 

It was like Spot had stepped right into some kind of fantasy world. He couldn’t remember a single Christmas like this, where he genuinely did not want it to end. He took the small Christmas mug from Racer and took a sip. “Jesus, why is this coffee so good?” he sighed. 

“Because you’re favorite Larkin kid made it,” Racer grinned. Spot raised an eyebrow at him and the blond boy laughed. “What?! I’m talkin’ about Henry!” he defended. “So…  **what did you get?** ”

When they were done with breakfast, Medda sat them all down in a circle and told JoJo to hand out pretends. Spot ended up having three neatly wrapped gifts and he gaped at them. He looked up at Miss Medda and shook his head with a small shrug. She just gave him a wink and went around the circle. When it was Spot’s turn he hesitated before opening the gifts smallest room largest. The first was a small Brooklyn mug. Spot smiled at that. The next made him pause. It was a leather jacket. A very nice looking leather jacket. “Miss Medda—“

“Nah uh, honey, keep goin’,” she encouraged. 

So Spot did. And he nearly teared up at the sight of the small silver necklace that he found, a small lock charm on the edge of it, nearly the perfect size for his small key. “I-I can’t accept this—“

“It’s yours, baby. There is a no return policy with Miss Medda,” Medda insisted. “Unless the jacket doesn’t fit, but I think it looked just about perfect,” she winked. 

Spot went completely speechless. He looked around at nearly a dozen smiling faces and he blinked back happy tears. “I… thank you… thank you so much…” he managed. “They’re perfect…”

“Uh, Santa got you the mug,” Racer said. “Mama can’t have all the credit.” 

Spot just nudged him a bit and smiled. And then they moved on. Maybe that was why Spot loved it so much. Here he was, a stranger being accepted into such a family without even so much as a question. And it wasn’t a big deal or some catastrophic thing. He was just… here. 

He was here with the Larkin family and everything was perfect. 

And it was a Merry Christmas after all. 


	12. A Place I Love

**Five years later…**

“Yes, Mama, we’ve got everything we need. We’ll be there soon. Tell Jack I’ve got his idiot packed in the car and we’ve got toys for Lucy that will drive him and Kat crazy,” Spot laughed into the phone. “Yeah… uh huh… I love you too… Bye.” 

Spot shoved his phone into his back pocket and grabbed the last of the luggage. He couldn’t turn around, however, when arms wrapped around him from behind and a small kiss was pressed to his cheek. “Spottie, take your shirt off…” 

“We’ve been over this, pretty boy,” Spot laughed, turning his head to the blond so he could steal a kiss. “Not when we’re goin’ ta be anywhere near your brother,” he insisted, gently pushing away from the boy and rolling two more suitcases out to the car. Racer had never packed light. “He’ll literally kill me—“

“Mr. Black Belt is scared of Jack Francis Kelly,” Racer sighed. “That’s just sad.” 

Racer had always known how to drive him crazy from day one. It had not been an easy road to getting here, but for some reason, he loved that boy. If the way he looked at him didn’t prove it, the ring around Racer’s finger certainly did. “Your brother would find some elaborate way to murder me while I ain’t expectin’ it. He’s scary as hell when he wants ta be.” 

Race only shrugged. “So are you, babe,” he smirked. “Only difference is that you’re super hot when you’re angry…” 

Spot shook his head. “Come on… let’s get goin’ before your ma wants ta kill me too for makin’ us late,” he said. 

Like the child he was inside, Race stuck his tongue out at him. All Spot could do was laugh. The blond was wearing some jeans and a black and red flannel and some reindeer antlers. He looked adorable and Spot hated how much he loved it. “Fine,” Race groaned as he turned around and headed to the door, slipping on a jacket and handing Spot the leather one he’d gotten for Christmas all those years ago. 

And then they were on their way home for Christmas. 

Racer blasted Christmas music and sang at the top of his lungs the whole time. Spot didn’t try to hide his smile anymore. It was hilarious to see his boy like that, so carefree and excited like always. 

When they eventually got to that huge house, Racer grabbed his hand and practically dragged him to the front door, the same way he did every time they were back here with his big — still growing — family. The blond was the one that knocked on the door and before he finished, a small boy was already on the front porch. “Spottie! Racer!” 

“Elmer!” Racer replied, bending down to scoop the small boy up. 

It wasn’t long before Spot was nearly tackled by another little girl that had green brown eyes and red hair and Jack’s confident grin. “Well hey there, LuLu!” 

“Uncle Spottie, Daddy says you can help with the cookies! Let’s go!” 

Spot was immediately pulled into a world of madness that he’d grown quite fond of over the past few years. He was hugged by at least fifteen people before he made it to the kitchen to find the man who’d made all of this possible to begin with. “Hey, Jackie,” Spot smiled, extending his hand out to the man. 

“Spottie,” Jack winked, scooping up his daughter as she came in running fast. “Welcome home.” 

Spot only grinned as Racer caught up to him, wrapping him up again. He sighed and glanced around before he shrugged. “Great ta be here.” 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Happy Holidays!

**Author's Note:**

> As always, thanks for reading! Make sure to tell me what you liked, what you didn't like, what you'd change or what you'd improve by leaving me a review! Love ya, kiddos!


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